According to Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC), the show’s organizer, Graph Expo 2007 featured 654 exhibitors filling 460,296 square feet of booth space on the sold-out show floor, making it the largest U.S. national graphic communications trade show since 2000 and the second biggest Graph Expo ever. Its education program of nearly 70 sessions drew a record number of participants, notably the largest registration since 2000, with participants choosing to attend more sessions than in the past, including five sold-out sessions.

All told, GASC reported 31,779 total participants, including exhibitors and attendees, at the event, achieving a 3 percent increase in attendance over last year.

“The activity on the show floor felt great,” said Ralph Nappi, president of GASC. “Now with the registration data compiled and finalized, we definitively know that this year’s Graph Expo surpassed last year’s show, with 20,285 attendees spending at least one day at the show, and most more time.”

Printing ink manufacturers showcased many new products, emphasizing environmentally-friendly technologies. Overall, they were pleased with the attendance at Graph Expo.

“We have more meetings planned than I’ve ever seen at a Graph Expo, and there are lots of customers coming to see us,” said Doug Labertew, vice president and general manager of Flint Group’s sheetfed ink division.

“Sun Chemical had an overwhelmingly positive experience at Graph Expo this year,” said Brad Schrader, Sun Chemical’s chief marketing officer. “Graph Expo provided us with an opportunity to deliver our sustainability message to customers and prospective clients while showcasing some of our new sustainable offerings, including Rycoline’s Evergreen Press Wash, Synergy UV Ink and our Intertech award-winning Liberty offset ink. Over the course of four days, we were excited about the booth’s activity level and our discussions with both clients and future clients. Graph Expo was a great venue for our leadership to visit with these customers in a short period of time.”

“INX International found Graph Expo 2007 to be very successfully and noted increased traffic from prior years,” said Renee Etiopio, corporate marketing manager at INX International Ink Co. “We placed concentration on our new EcoPure HPJ ink system, Fusion UV Hybrid, paste and liquid dispensing as well as digital printing capabilities.”

From left, Flint Group’s Doug Labertew, vice president and general manager of Flint Group’s sheetfed ink division; John Gramates, vice president, sales and service East;Birgit Backofen Rothaker, director, business development and OEM relationship management; and Rodney Balmer, director of global research and product development, sheetfed inks.

“We have more appointments and visitations scheduled than we ever had in the past,” Joe Bendowski, Van Son Holland Ink president and CEO.

Ink companies noted the increased interest in digital technologies.

“In conjunction with Raster Printers and Innovative Solutions INX we exhibited the Daytona UV Flatbed printer,” Ms. Etiopio said. “It was obvious from our booth traffic and level of interest in the Daytona the migration towards digital print technology for both analog and digital printers.”
“Recognizing the theme and continuing growth of digital at Graph Expo, Sun Chemical was pleased to show customers its advances in the digital arena by introducing the new Streamline digital bulk ink feed system,” Mr. Schrader added.

Sun Chemical

For Graph Expo, Sun Chemical demonstrated its commitment to environmental sustainability, through the development of solutions that meet end-users’ stringent VOC requirements, lower energy use and waste reduction.

“Customers want ink and chemistry solutions that can make their operations run more efficiently while improving quality. They also need products that make it easy for them to address their environmental performance without driving up their costs or complicating their businesses,” said Mr. Schrader. “Sun Chemical’s global R&D operation is an engine of innovation that is creating solutions with lower emissions, faster drying times and characteristics that lead to significantly less waste and less clean up.”

Among these products is Sun Chemical’s new Synergy UV System, which combines new UV ink, coating, press conditioner, wash and fountain solution chemistries formulated to simplify UV printing. According to the company, Synergy is the only “system solution” designed for UV printing applications, with specially formulated products that speed make-ready, simplify ink and water balance settings and reduce start-up waste.

“Synergy inks offer a number of advantages, including excellent lithographic performance at high speeds,” said Jim Bishop, UV product manager. “The high-gloss series does not require UV coating, while the plastic series offers unmatched adhesion on a wide variety of plastics for display and card applications.”

Sun Chemical also focused on its Rycoline portfolio of green products: pressroom supplies and specialty chemicals designed to reduce VOCs in the commercial printing process. Created to meet the highest standards for print quality and on-press performance while providing the lowest impact on the environment, Rycoline’s Green Diamond Universal Fount eliminates the need for a 100 percent VOC alcohol replacement in the printing process, reducing VOCs by about three tons annually in an average sheetfed pressroom. The Rycoline line of blanket and roller wash products come in reusable containers, and their effective cleaning properties reduce VOCs by as much as six tons annually in a typical printing operation.

“Rycoline products not only reduce the VOC emissions in an average print house by many tons annually, but they also reduce the costs associated with drum disposal,” Mark DeSandre, vice president, market development, Rycoline, noted. “Using Rycoline products, commercial printers can comply with their customers’ demands for green operations while saving money in the process.”

In addition, Sun Chemical showcased Streamline S-Tech, its new digital bulk ink feed system for Mimaki JV3 series presses. Mimaki JV3 presses are used by approximately 8,000 commercial printing operations in Europe.

S-Tech is an ancillary system that gives Mimaki JV3 users the freedom to adopt Sun Chemical Screen’s range of Streamline solvent digital inks, realizing the cost savings of using a value-for-money bulk ink product. The system can be fitted and installed by a press operator with no modifications to either the hardware or software in the press. S-Tech uses a sensor to ensure a constant level of ink delivery, carefully controlling the ink reservoir levels to give consistent ink pressure on the printheads.

Flint Group

Flint Group had a wide variety of new products on hand for Graph Expo 2007, most notably its new Novavit F918 Supreme Bio sheetfed printing inks, which the company has recently introduced to the North American market.

Novavit F918 Supreme Bio are fast setting, vegetable-based inks. Their quick dry times make these inks ideal for perfecting presses, printers with bindery and finishing departments, and those who want to increase production speeds.

One key is that the inks are ecologically friendly. Made with naturally replenishable vegetable oils, the inks emit lower VOCs and minimize any potential negative impact to the environment. The Novavit F918 Supreme Bio series proves that ecologically responsible products can also perform to the highest standards in print speed, dot sharpness, ink/water balance, color intensity and quality performance on numerous substrates.

“Our customers are aware of the push toward green, particularly our packaging customers,” said Rodney Balmer, director of global research and product development, sheetfed inks, Flint Group. “Our Supreme Bio series offers a new resin technology, and it is fast setting.”

“Europe has been confronted with the demand for environmental friendly products, which the government has driven, and as a result we have expertise,” said Birgit Backofen Rothaker, Flint Group’s director, business development and OEM relationship management. “This is a major technology shift, and the feedback from press manufacturers has been very positive.”

“There has been a gap between bio- and mineral-based products, and we’re always looking to do better,” said Mr. Labertew. “We have overcome the performance gap, and we can now lead with this product over our mineral-based products.”

Flint Group also showcased its expanded Arrowstar energy curable product line, designed to meet nearly every print application and end use.

Joerg-O. Seeger, president and CEO, U.S. for Hostmann-Steinberg.

Arrowstar features the UV7700, UV7310, EB1200 and Gemini series. UV7700 is formulated to meet performance demands of both sheetfed and web printers for paper and board applications. UV7310 for nonporous substrates provides excellent adhesion to even the most difficult substrates. EB1200 serves the demanding packaging market for electron beam web applications on paper and board. The Gemini hybrid series promotes excellent inter-coat adhesion and minimal gloss reduction when in-line UV coating in sheetfed applications.

Fusion Hybrid process ink is the latest INX advance in hybrids. It cures using UV technology, but prints, handles and washes up like conventional oil-based sheetfed inks. It eliminates the need for roller conditioning when switching from conventional inks, while offering exceptional adhesion to a wide variety of substrates, including styrene and PVC. Fusion has excellent flow and transfer, washes up with many conventional press washes, and may be coated with aqueous or UV coating and overprint varnishes inline.

“We are emphasizing our eco-friendly inks,” said John Copeland, Toyo Ink America’s president. “Toyo Ink places important value on being socially and environmentally friendly, and we are always developing new inks that are environmentally-friendly.”

Toyo Ink has long been a leader in environmental issues, and its new HyPlus 100 is a reflection of the company’s approach. HyPlus 100 is solvent-free, is quick drying and delivers vibrant color. It has very good rub resistance and offers very high gloss. It is UV and aqueous coatable, and is hot foil stampable and laser printable.

“HyPlus was introduced in 2006, and we were initially targeting a specialized audience,” Mr. Copeland said. “However, it performed so well – it’s the fastest-setting ink I’ve ever seen, as well as being vegetable-oil based – that it’s become our fastest-growing sheetfed ink.”

Hostmann-Steinberg

Hostmann-Steinberg also emphasized the company’s commitment to the environment by highlighting its Inkredible line of inks, a series of six low VOC ink lines.
“The Inkredible series has much higher stability, better water-ink balance, higher gloss and is easier to handle,” said Joerg-O. Seeger, president and CEO, U.S. for Hostmann-Steinberg. “They are all low VOC, wash up very easily with less chemistry and come up to color more quickly. I think we have an excellent opportunity.”

Van Son Holland Ink

Van Son Holland Ink Corporation introduced its new SonaCure UV-Curable ink line at Graph Expo 2007. SonaCure UV-Curable inks are available in three series: paper, hybrid, and foil/plastic.

Paul Brouwer, left, Royal Dutch Printing Ink Factories Van Son president, and Joseph Bendowski, president and CEO of Van Son Holland Ink.

SonaCure is recommended for adding a very high quality look to any UV-cured printing job, including booklet and publication covers, marketing materials, self-adhesive labels, credit cards and all types of consumer packaging. SonaCure takes seconds to dry, delivers a faster turnaround, high gloss and excellent rub resistance, and produces lower emissions than conventional inks.

“Our SonaCure UV curable ink line has been in development for a few years,” said Joe Bendowski, Van Son Holland Ink president and CEO.

“More and more printers are offering UV-cured printing as a value-added process for customers who want to convey a high quality image through their printed communications, especially packaging and related items. Van Son’s goal is to support printers in their efforts to expand their business opportunities and improve profit margins,” said John Sammis, vice president of sales and marketing for Van Son. “Additionally, SonaCure offers the added benefit of being an environmentally friendly, non-VOC ink. Printers can be assured that SonaCure, like all Van Son inks, is formulated for ease of use, maximum cost-savings and high performance.”

Van Son also showcase its Quickson line of process inks, including Quickson PRO and its high performance Vs3 and Vs5 series, available exclusively from ink company partners located strategically throughout the U.S.

Electronics for Imaging (EFI)

EFI displayed its wide range of products, including its Jetrion 4000 Series of UV inkjet printers, an affordable, full-color alternative to toner-based digital printers for narrow web converters. The Jetrion 4000 UV Inkjet System is also integrated with the Fiery XF RIP, making it the most versatile and scalable platform in the industry.

“It’s good to be part of EFI, as we can now leverage all of our products together,” said Sean Skelly, director of product management, Jetrion Industrial Inkjet Systems. “Our technology is changing printing. This is an exciting time for us.”

Next year’s Graph Expo is scheduled for Oct. 26-29 at McCormick Place. For more information, contact GASC at (703) 264-7200, or on the web at www.gasc.org.